As the Shadows Dance Around the Fire
by Genzodus Thoth
Summary: 200 years since the days of Sora, the galaxy has changed greatly because of his influence. As the Darkness begins to regain its former power, a scholarly mage named Kuro discovers his ability to control the Heartless. Which path will he choose?
1. Chapter 1

It had been two hundred long years since the adventures of the legendary keyblader Sora, but it was those very adventures that shaped the cosmos into what it would eventually become. Travel between worlds, which had been a recently invented and still-dangerous technology in that time, was able to become commonplace, for the hero had discovered safe passages. Relations between different sentient species flourished, for he had not been afraid to make new friends, regardless of their outward appearance. Wherever the boy went, peace and prosperity flourished; unwittingly, he had not only halted the production of artificial Heartless, he had stopped many of their natural occurrences. By the end of his lifetime, the entire galaxy had entered a golden age.

Of course, there would always be evil in the universe, and there would always be Heartless. The Darkness would never completely go away, for each and every living creature throws a shadow. That is the double nature of Light. The nearer one stands to it, the larger the shadow he casts. What many people forget, though, is that even inanimate objects, such as keyblades, cast shadows.

The day dawned peacefully on Radiant Garden, the soft light of the sun warming all of its inhabitants as the disk rose into the sky. Many inhabitants of this, the second-most-important world, rose with the dawn, though some were less willing than others. The castle of Hollow Bastion, once the home of the great king Ansem the Wise, it was now a thing to be feared and avoided, just as it had been in the days of Sora. While the rest of the world had recovered completely within a few years of reoccupation, the castle had remained untouched by time. In all the worlds, Hollow Bastion contained the only true presence of the remains of the Heartless army.

It was only logical, as the twisted, unnatural architecture only complemented the unearthly beings of Darkness, and it had been the place where many of them had been created by the vile apprentices of the former king. As the sun rose, the Heartless that prowled the castle's grounds at night retreated back within the interior. It wasn't that the light harmed them, they simply detested its presence, and it wasn't like any humans strayed near the castle, anyway. Well, that wasn't entirely true; there was one human who frequented the otherwise-abandoned site. After it had been determined that Hollow Bastion would remain uninhabitable indefinitely, the ancient wizard Merlin, with the help of Sora and his keyblade, cast a spell that both prevented Heartless from leaving and people from entering.

There was one exception to this rule, however. Nearly twenty years ago, a pair of black mages had come to Radiant Garden to do research on the remnants of the Darkness within the castle. They were good people at heart and were researching for the sake of knowledge, not power, so Merlin gave the two the knowledge needed to enter and exit the barrier. Within two years, they had settled down in their new home, one next door to their benefactor's, had set up a modest laboratory within the castle, and had even had a son. It was at that point when the first of many shadows would be cast.

On the day when the couple finally decided to bring their young son on one of their trips to the castle, the lost track of him, and he was attacked by Heartless. The toddler, not knowing what was going on, assumed that the group of Shadows was just some more of Merlin's animated toys. When the mages finally found him, he had set all but one of them on fire, the last of which he was gnawing on. After seeing this rather humorous sight, they decided that it was time to leave. Unfortunately, as they turned to go, a group of Defenders appeared.

The man told his wife to take their child and run; he would follow when he could. But he did not return home that night. From then on, the witch left her son with Merlin whenever she went to the castle. Everything was fine for a while, but within a year, there came a night when she did not return. And so, the young prodigy was taken in by his neighbor, at least until he decided to continue his parents' research.

And so, the black mage known as Kuro Konsou was the only human who ever entered Hollow Bastion. Or at least he did until he had disappeared two weeks previously. In fact, the sun was rising on the first day of what would be the beginning of his third week. That wasn't what he was thinking about, though, as the blazing sun rose into the sky.

"Argh! Why did my parents have to put the laboratory on the _east_ side of the castle?"

The youth groaned as he sat up in his cot, wiping the drool from his face as he glanced about.

"All right, all of you, I'm awake."

When he said this, a number of Heartless appeared, though they cringed in the light of the sun as much as the still-sleepy mage. He snapped his fingers, signaling for them to begin their morning ritual. Suddenly, a pair of Gargoyles appeared, grabbing him by the shoulders as they took flight, shooting out the window. A Wizard materialized next, conjuring a massive Water spell, while a swarm of Red Nocturnes held a dozen Fire-balls under it, heating it. The Wizard threw the ball of scalding hot water at the human, while a second one cast Aero on him at the moment of impact.

The Gargoyles released their prey quickly, so as to avoid being struck by the potent spells, though they remained nearby to grab him after he fell. The wind caused the water to spin and churn, tossing its prisoner back and forth within its confines. As this was happening, the Nocturnes surrounded the orb, charging up Fire spells. The blasts struck the water simultaneously, causing it to evaporate in a burst of steam. As the man, now hanging in empty air, began to plummet to the ground, the Gargoyles, who had been waiting anxiously, swooped down, grabbing hold of the man again, and deposited him on a balcony.

He opened his eyes slowly, breathing in deeply, tasting the moist morning air.

He smiled broadly, "Ah, much better than a shower."


	2. Chapter 2

The sound of soft footfalls echoed throughout the empty streets. Though many of the residents of the city were already awake, few of them had begun their daily tasks yet. Those that had were those that had some of the more important jobs or civil servants, such as policemen. This lack of people served the man's purpose as he walked slowly and deliberately through the streets, though he took a shortcut through an alley occasionally. It did not take him long to reach his destination, one of the older houses near what had once been the edge of town.

With a quick flick of the wrist, he drew up his hand and knocked on the door quietly, so as not to disturb anyone who might be awake in the neighboring houses. An old man with long white hair and a beard that trailed to the floor appeared in an instant. He gasped at the sight of the horrible visage that stood at his door. The thing stood with its back to the sun, the blood red light of dawn surrounding it like a malevolent aura, while its reflection set itself into the demon's dark eyes, blazing like hellfire. The creature's black robes drifted in the morning breeze like an encroaching shadow that would consume all it touched.

Despite this ghastly appearance, the old man simply smiled, "Kuro, thank goodness that you're all right. Everyone thought that you were dead. I insisted that you were fine, but no one believes an old man like me anymore. Hmph. Let's see how many of them can cast Ultima."

The old wizard stepped aside and welcomed the demon inside. Once he stepped into the artificial light, though, his true appearance was revealed. He was no more than an ordinary human teen garbed in long black mage's robes and wearing sandals that made him appear taller than he actually was. His pale skin made a stark contrast to his robes, and his long black hair further enhanced it, his long bangs forming an incomplete ring that was split down the center. The silken strands were even longer in the back, trailing into a ponytail that was held together with a clip in the shape of the Heartless emblem.

That very same emblem was tattooed on his forehead like a third eye, and adorned many of the books that hung from special straps attached to the leather belt that held up the lower half of his "robes." In reality, the mage considered real robes as too cumbersome and preferred to wear an oversized tunic over a long kilt. The old man closed the door behind him as he invited him to take a seat.

"I'm sorry that I made everyone worry, Master," the boy spoke, his naturally soft voice made even softer by an apologetic tone. "I really couldn't leave my project until today. If I had, the results could have been disastrous."

"So is it in the final stages, then? The Glow?"

"I guess that you could say that," the youth replied, the apologetic tone now gone and excitement in its place. "Three of the five test subjects have reacted violently to the procedure and are now being destroyed from the inside out by their own bodies. One appears to have accepted the transformation, but…"

"But what?"

"The last one has proved completely immune to the substance. I'm not sure whether it's a true immunity or if the substance's effectiveness is based on the power of the subject. Either way, I'll have to be careful until I've collected the data."

That's right, he would have to be more careful from now on. What he was saying could very well be correct; it could be either true immunity or the effect of his Antishadow serum could be based on the power of the Heartless that it was used on. As far as appearances went, that was just what he was doing; he was using a combination of microbiology, alchemy, and magic in an attempt to make a "Glow," a Soul that had lost its Heart, but was a creature of Light, rather than one of Darkness. In theory, a Glow was identical to a Shadow in all but name and color, however, with a Glow, it might be possible for an ordinary, good human to return to normalcy, as had the evil Xehanort. That was what the inhabitants of Radiant Garden thought that the mage was doing.

In fact, that was exactly what he was doing when he started. One day, though, there was an accident that changed all that. He had been taking a sample from a Wizard, to better determine the interaction of Darkness and magic, when he suddenly felt weak. It was at that moment that he realized that he had forgotten to take his medication. He had never learned what it was for, but he had always taken it when his mother or Merlin told him to.

There was no one to remind him that day, and he had been so wrapped up in his work that he had been unable to remember. He reached in vain across the room as he collapsed to the cold, hard stone floor, his head cracking with the force of the fall. As blood obscured his vision, he felt a terrible pain in his Heart. It was then that he gasped in horror, for the next thing that he saw completely terrified him, one who delved into forbidden secrets on a daily basis. His pale skin was rapidly being devoured by an inky blackness that oozed out from his chest.

"Kuro, are you sure that you're okay? You don't seem quite yourself."

The younger mage look up at his mentor with a shock. He supposed that it would seem a little odd for him to space out like he just had. Not only that, if he dwelt on the past, he would be unable to cope with the present.

"I'm sorry; I was just trying to figure out a way that I might be able to strengthen the formula. It looks like being cooped up in that castle for two whole weeks has eliminated what little social skills that I had." He grinned awkwardly, trying to show his sincerity, "I'd probably better be on my way, though. I've got some errands to run."

"Go? You just got here."

"Ah, I'm so close to perfecting it, I just can't let it sit."

"Well, I guess that it can't be helped, then. Just try not to overwork yourself."

"Yes, sir, Master. I'll come see you again when I'm done."

With that, he stood up and walked out the door, once again becoming a demon in the morning light.


	3. Chapter 3

People filled the streets of Radiant Garden, going about their daily business mindlessly.

_They're no better than the Shadows._

Among all of the zombies that had the arrogance to call themselves "human" walked a hypocrite: a demon that had the arrogance to call himself "human," and to name the zombies as what they truly were. The thing that called itself Kuro Konsou walked through the streets with a false smile on its face. People passed by, smiling their own false smiles as they greeted him, saying that it was good to see that he was okay. He knew that they were just hiding their disgust: they didn't care about him; quite the contrary, they thought him a menace. Nonetheless, they would smile and greet him until he did something truly despicable or proved himself to not be worth the effort.

They would win: the masses always won. If the mage completed his Anitshadow serum, then they wouldn't have to worry about the Heartless anymore. If he failed, then he was just another relic of a forgotten age, like his mentor, that crackpot of a wizard, Merlin. With the exception of the Antishadow serum, there was no point in conducting research on a dying breed like the Heartless. He was just putting them in danger: going in and out of the barrier like that.

But that was not something to mention now. The youth's research still might yield the fruit of eternal safety, so they would continue to smile and pat him on the back as he advanced, at least until he failed. They had no idea that he knew of their treachery, but even if they did, they wouldn't care, nor would they even try to be more accommodating. And so, the lifeless beings that called themselves "human" and the black-souled being that called itself "human" lived on in false harmony, and they would continue to do so until something happened.

"Ah, Kuro, you're still alive!" the owner of the open-air grocery store said, surprised. "I feared that the worst might have happened."

"Impossible, they'd get Heartburn if they tried to eat me," he said, making conversation, hiding his awareness of her greed.

_I can't believe this old hag. Like she really cares about a guy that buys food from her every few weeks. They all just want the serum._

As he thought this, there was a slight tingling in his forehead. Having felt it so many times before, he only acknowledged it subconsciously and simply continued to go about his business. He got the food that he needed, paid for it, and left. He didn't want to spend any more time with those fools than he had to. For a moment, his vision flickered, and he saw the world as it truly was.

He walked down the street uninterestedly, Shadows and Dusk brushing past him as they tried to complete their mindless work before the day ended, like ants. They obeyed the hivemind unconsciously, each thinking that he or she was an individual. These "humans" sought food and money in the same way that Heartless and Nobodies sought Hearts. Just as suddenly as it had started, though, the vision of Darkness had passed. Kuro didn't care; he saw such hallucinations whenever he walked into town.

They weren't nearly as bad as when he saw the Heartless that he studied as they once were and how they might be again if he perfected the serum. It was for them that he worked: for the Heartless, not for the "humans." Of course, he worked for himself, as well. If there was a way to turn beings of Darkness into beings of Light, then there was a way to make a being of Darkness immune to the Light. He smiled broadly, truly, as he walked down the street, passing by the fake people without a care.

It wouldn't be long before they received their just desserts. He just had to wait: a few more hours of false smiles, a few more hours of these vile people. And then, it would all end.

_Yes, enjoy the monotony while you can. It won't last for much longer._

It was then that the mage was unable to hold back his joy, if the vile emotion that he felt could be called joy, and he burst out laughing in the middle of the street. People turned to look and ask what was so funny, but he just waved them away. He didn't want them to waste what little time they had left.


	4. Chapter 4

Kuro munched on an orange slice as he wrote something on a page in a thick, handwritten tome

Kuro munched on an orange slice as he wrote something on a page in a thick, handwritten tome. On the front cover, which was nothing more than thick strip of leather, was the emblem of the Heartless, stained in with black ink. The various pages were all mismatched, some ragged and yellow with age, some crisp and white as the snow. They were all manuscripts, written by many different authors, collected from various worlds over many years by Kuro's ancestors and compiled into a single book: _The Biological Index of Heartless_. It was in this book that all of the written knowledge regarding the Heartless was contained.

The Ansem Reports, the Secret Ansem Reports, notes written by Jack Skellington and Dr. Finklestein, journal entries from Maleficent, parts of Riku's autobiography, and even a few scrawls from Pete: all those and more were contained within the worn leather cover. Of course, the research done by the Konsou family was also in the book, and unlike the works written by the other contributors, they had penned their entries in a format commonly used in medical reports and had clarified some of the more bizarre or cryptic information from the other portions. Kuro, in particular, had written a great deal in it, despite using mage's shorthand for the vast majority of it. In addition, he had drawn many in-depth diagrams, diagrams of the sort that bordered on forbidden knowledge. Just looking at them caused one to wonder if he wasn't one of Ansem the Wise's treacherous apprentices.

Of course, no one ever looked at it. No one even asked, and Kuro probably wouldn't have let them anyway. It wasn't that he was afraid of what they might think; it was just that the book was one-of-a-kind and that they wouldn't understand it, to boot. He finished the orange, and tossing away the rind, closed the book and fastened it onto his belt. The time for research had ended.

Whistling Halloween Town's favorite tune, he left his upper laboratory, the one that his parents had installed and the room that he used for living quarters, and proceeded downwards, towards the lower laboratory in the basement. This was the laboratory that had first created the Emblem Heartless and the founding members of Organization XIII. Of course, it had been mostly destroyed by Sora and later dismantled by a special team, but Kuro had rebuilt a large portion of it. There was no need to reproduce the misguided experiments of the past, especially such inhumane ones, but the mage's research required the equipment in order to simulate various conditions. It was here that he had developed the Antishadow serum and also…

He had created a new type of Heartless, one that was not seriously harmed by the power of Light, as common Heartless were. He looked into the various cages, satisfied to find that everything had happened as he had predicted. One of the Shadows had remained cosmetically the same, but he knew that it was the first of a new breed. Another Shadow had inverted, and seemed to be made of Light, rather than Darkness. This was a Glow, the first of the White Heartless that could theoretically be created using his serum.

The advantage of the White Heartless was that they didn't seek out the Hearts of humans like normal Heartless. Instead, they sought out their own Nobody. In that manner, they could theoretically return to being human. Of course, if their Nobody had already been destroyed, they would be stuck as a Glow until they gained the necessary strength to assume human form. In that manner, only those who truly deserved it or were incredibly lucky would be able to become "human."

And that was exactly what Kuro wanted.

_Things are not truly appreciated unless they are earned though blood and sweat. The human race has long ago earned its position at the top of all other species, but now that position is taken for granted. Our ancestors had to fight every day in order to keep that position, but now technology holds it without struggle. It will continue to hold that position without human guidance while those wretches re-evolve. I will force them to act as they should, to act as the noble creatures that truly belong at the top._

But first…

He walked over towards the Shadow that had been unaffected by the serum, reaching through the bars of the magical cage with his left hand, the hand closest to the Heart. The emblem on his forehead shone brightly as tendrils of Darkness flowed down his arm, tracing unseen, forbidden patterns as they reached out towards the low-level Heartless. They penetrated it, flowing through its body as they searched for the spiritual genes that had granted it immunity to the serum and would one day grant Heartless immunity to the weapons of Light. They found it, seizing it greedily in a manner that destroyed the Heartless, causing it to release its Heart. Kuro held his breath.

A moment later, a surge of pain shot through his body as the Darkness integrated the stolen essence into its vessel. The burning sensation left after a moment, and the mage was able to breathe again. He still felt weak, but there was no getting around that. This momentary condition was cheap payment for the strength that he had acquired and would need soon enough. That's right: he would need this strength for his coup d'etat of the corrupt natural order.


End file.
